Delaware County couple’s child abuse trial postponed

The trial of a Delaware couple charged with child endangerment has been postponed in Delaware County Common Pleas Court.

Natasha Marie Moore, 29, and Abdurahman Mohamed Abdurahman, 23, of Delaware, are both accused in connection with severe injuries to Moore’s 1-year-old son, Phoenyx. The pair were scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 13 but at a status conference on Wednesday, Delaware County Common Pleas Court Judge David Gormley postponed the trial after receiving motions to continue from Moore’s attorney, Jon Klein and Abdurahman’s attorney, Megan Grant.

At the hearing Assistant Prosecutor Douglas Dumolt said there had been issues with the attorneys not being provided discovery from the couple’s previous attorney, Brian Jones. Dumolt said he has since provided new copies of discovery to the attorneys.

Dumolt also told Gormley that he plans to call three doctors as expert witnesses and did not know what their schedules would be so he could not say what day a trial would work best.

Gormley listed Oct. 18, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, and Nov. 29 as potential trial dates and said Dumolt and the two defense attorneys, Jon Klein and Megan Grant, to let his office know what dates work best for them.

They were originally scheduled to stand trial on April 12.

Moore is charged with two counts of endangering children, which are third-degree felonies, and Abdurahman is charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and two felony counts of endangering children, for allegedly abusing Moore’s son in January.

The boy has since been released from the hospital. Prosecutors allege that Abdurahman hit the baby’s head against a wall several times on Jan. 13 and caused serious injuries.

A grand-jury indictment for Moore states that she created a “substantial risk to the health or safety of the child, by violating a duty of care, protection or support” because she did not stop the abuse.

Prosecutors said the case was reported to police after the couple brought the boy to the hospital.

During an interview with detectives on Jan. 13, Abdurahman said he and Moore were the only people to have been in custody of the boy for the previous 48 hours.

Moore and Abdurahman were originally released on bail from the Delaware County Jail but were later taken into custody for violating the terms of their bail. Specifically, prosecutors said that both used illegal drugs and came into contact with each other, despite clear orders not to.